The use of high viscosity, low density polyethylene as a coating material for paper products such as milk cartons is well known. During the manufacture of such plastic coated paper products, a variety of virgin scrap material such as roll ends, clippings and off-spec product is produced. This virgin scrap material is distinguished from post-consumer scrap that is subject to a greater degree of contamination.
Because of the relatively high quality of the bleached paper in the virgin scrap material, it is economically advantageous to reclaim it for use in products such as molded paper cups, trays, plates, egg cartons, and the like. Prior to reuse of the virgin scrap material, however, the polyethylene coating is desirably removed. In the first instance, this is done by grinding up the scrap and running it through a hydropulper.
In a hydropulper, the plastic is separated from a major portion of the paper and removed by flotation as an aqueous slurry. The plastic coating waste recovered from a hydropulper can typically comprise, for example, from about 6 to about 33 weight percent paper. The moisture content of the plastic coating waste usually varies in direct proportion to the amount of paper present in the waste because of the hydrophilic nature of paper.
In the past, the plastic coating waste from hydropulpers has been viewed as a discardable waste material. More recently, however, there has been increasing concern over the environmental impact of dumping such polymeric waste. Also, as the price of virgin plastic resins has increased, attention has been given to ways of further cleaning and purifying the plastic resin present in the polymeric waste recovered from hydropulpers.
The use of solvents for recovering polyethylene from a water wet mixture of water-insoluble materials containing a major portion of polyethylene and a minor portion of cellulosic pulp fibers is disclosed, for example, in U.S. 3,226,343.
More recently, a process for producing substantially fiber-free polyethylene pellets from hydropulper plastic coating waste has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,748. That process discloses the use of tumble drying for dewatering and fiber removal, and also the plasticization of the polyethylene followed by water injection to achieve pellet formation. The polyethylene pellets made by this process comprise less than 5 weight percent fiber, and are preferably fiber-free so that they can be blended off with virgin resin for use in conventional plastic molding and extrusion applications.
Notwithstanding the processes disclosed in the prior art, however, a method is needed for reducing the paper fiber and moisture content of hydropulper plastic coating waste to a desirable level on a cost effective, commercial scale. More specifically, an economical and reliable method is needed for reducing the paper and moisture contents of such plastic coating waste to acceptable levels, preferably from about 5 to about 10 weight percent cellulosic fiber and less than about 10 weight water, and for pelletizing the resultant material.